Parole denied for convicted Robertsdale killer

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- David Johnson lost his bid for early release from a 20-year prison sentence for beating a man to death last week after a review of his eligibility by the Board of Pardons and Paroles, according to a news release.

Johnson, now 44, had been living in Robertsdale and working at a Magnolia Springs marina in early 1999 when he showed up at the mobile home of his in-laws, where his wife’s coworkers had been helping his wife, Earlrethia Johnson, move.

She had left her husband out of fear for her safety, Dixon said in the release.

David Johnson broke through the door, grabbed a steel pipe that those inside had used in a vain attempt to brace the door against his entry, and proceeded to beat Raymond Adams Jr. to death with it, it said.

Adams was to have been married a week later, Dixon said.

“Johnson was originally charged with murder for this savage crime,” Dixon said. "However, the jury found him guilty of the lesser-included charge of manslaughter, so he was sentenced to serve 20 years in the state penitentiary.

"We owe the victim’s family our best efforts to ensure that Johnson completes that term.”